RUMFORD — All-terrain vehicles are now allowed access to The Island, the downtown business district that includes stores, restaurants, government offices, social service agencies, a post office and banking institutions.

The six-month trial started Saturday, nine days after selectmen approved the request by members of the Rumford Riders ATV Club. The board discussed safety issues and the economic benefit to the town.

The Island is between the Androscoggin River and canals that were built long ago to supply water to the paper mill.

On Friday morning, club President Jim Theriault, who is also a selectman, began posting green and white ATV signs indicating the two ways ATVs can access and the 25 mph speed limit. ATVs will not be permitted on Memorial Bridge, which connects Route 2 and Congress Street, which runs nearly the length of The Island. Six permanent signs for the bridge have been ordered.

On June 15, the Select Board approved the six-month trial, which will end this year. Chairman Chris Brennick, Frank DiConzo and Theresa Sax voted in favor. Theriault abstained and John Pepin was absent.

Town Manager Stacy Carter advised selectmen that ATV laws are somewhat different than motor vehicle laws as far as who can drive. “It’s not the law-abiding people that are going to be the problem. Anybody who doesn’t abide by certain rules — going too fast or changing lanes — it’s going to be dangerous.”

“I love the idea of having off-site access into communities to a hotel, to restaurants, to places like that,” Police Chief Tony Milligan told the board. “When I thought about what that would look like with respect to ATVs here on The Island, I have to admit that I had a bit of concern. The concern was how do they get on The Island and how are they getting off The Island?”

He said the route across the powerlines crossing over to Route 108 to access The Island “is a very good, viable option. I like the fact that it’s kind of open on both ends, as far as visibility for traffic coming east and west. How can we make it as safe as possible and try to minimize the various types of ATVs mixing with the various types of motor vehicles and pedestrians on The Island? If we can do that and get them set on certain points of The Island so they can easily walk to where they want to walk, that would be ideal.”

Milligan said he, his staff and the Maine Warden Service are most concerned about access on the other side from the Best Western Plus hotel.

“That is a kind of a narrow, high traffic area. You got a lot of commercial vehicles, big trucks. … If there was a standard sized breakdown lane on both sides, I’d feel a little bit better about it. But you’re talking about a foot, 12 inches on the sides. They’re going to be virtually in the travel lane coming across.”

The chief said, “The best recommendation that I want to pass on from the Maine Warden Service is go by baby steps and if it is granted, make it so if something starts going awry and just not working out, you can revoke it and figure it out from there.”

DiConzo said he’s concerned about ATV use near the new Veterans Administration facility during operating hours.

“We do not have access or permission from the VA,” Theriault said. “You don’t have to worry about them going through there.”

Sax asked for directional signs, including where ATV riders can park.

Brennick said, “We can revisit the ATV access in December to discuss if there are issues discovered over the summer and fall, where it’s a good thing or a bad thing, and be proactive on working it out.”

Milligan said a proactive ATV group that keeps its members informed, has proper training and polices itself is really helpful.

“We are very active in safety training,” Theriault said. “A month ago, we had an ATV training class at our clubhouse, and had 57 people at that training session. And that is the first one this year.”

Last year there were two he said, with 30 to 40 people participating in each.

“As far as 16-year-olds running on Congress Street, we could limit or put restrictions on who does or who doesn’t ride on the Island,” he said.

Theriault said the Rumford ATV Riders has more than 100 paid members, and its official Facebook page has nearly a thousand members.

Rumford Economic Development Director George O’Keefe told selectmen, “I think it’s time for us to try this. I think we’ve made an extraordinary investment in our downtown. And our downtown, in terms of its foot traffic and vehicle traffic, at the moment, has plateaued from the increase” seen after the three-year, nearly $8 million project to replace water and sewer lines on The Island from 2018 to 2021.

“I would like to see more vehicle traffic, foot traffic, ATV traffic — customers for our businesses in the downtown,” he said. “When we had 10,000 people living in this town in 1960, we probably had double the amount of vehicle traffic and foot traffic on this Island, which is what it was designed to accommodate.”

O’Keefe said Congress Street tends to have some traffic Monday through Friday during certain business hours. “But as any business operator on this Island will tell you, on weekends, it’s extremely quiet, with almost no utilization of the parking on River Street.”

There are a lot of people who have invested a lot of money that come to Rumford that operate a business on The Island, he said. “I think they should be rewarded for their investment in our community.”

There are three routes mapped out to The Island, but only one is open now. The first is from the Hotel Trail to the Rumford Information Center on Bridge Street. The second, which is not open yet, is from the Shoppers Island Trail, across the powerlines to Route 108. The Falls Hill Trail leading to nearby Best Western Plus at 50 Prospect Ave. is temporarily closed due to recent rains.

Riders will exit The Island via Congress Street and turn right back on Bridge Street.

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